noun
shopping refugee; person cut off from retail access
Refers to people, often elderly or in depopulated areas, who cannot easily buy daily necessities due to lack of nearby stores or transport. The literal translation 'shopping refugee' is used in English discussions of the issue.
過疎地では買い物難民が増えている。
The number of shopping refugees is increasing in depopulated areas.
買い物難民を支援する移動販売車が走っている。
Mobile sales vehicles are operating to support shopping refugees.
買い物弱者 is a similar term often used in government and media contexts, emphasizing vulnerability rather than the 'refugee' metaphor.
Compound of 買い物 (shopping) and 難民 (refugee), coined to describe people who lack access to retail services, analogous to a refugee being displaced from normal life.